"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"

-- Douglas Adams

If you don't give yourself credit for all that's good in your life, how can you expect yourself to create more?

Life rewards effort, my dears, exponentially. No matter how small the effort, nor how challenging the odds.

That's a lot.

Of course, it also rewards thought exponentially. Especially those in motion.

Let movement and stillness meet. When action springs naturally from inner calm, and proceeds to harmonize with external creative forces, all is well: Postive results are achieved without artifice, complex intentions or great effort.

"Cutting Through"

There are situations which call for confronting a tenacious knot and cutting through it. Situations in which, somehow, the way to harmony and unity is blocked or frustrated - quite often by a tangle of deceit or corruption. Like Alexander the Great cutting the Gordian knot, one must take decisive action in order to meet with good fortune. It serves nothing and no one to be afraid to shake things up a bit. The ability to take corrective measures, when they are needed, is an essential trait of true leadership.

But those who bring discipline to bear must, above all, be honest - with others, and with themselves. Honesty is the hallmark of the strong and self-confident. The successful person masters the art of honesty much as a swordsman masters fencing. When lies, delusions and game-playing are getting in the way of teamwork, a swift sword of honest action, perhaps even punishment, must be wielded to protect one's integrity and values.

Decisiveness with integrity at times like these brings blessings to everyone..

But, be warned: though your actions need be vigorous, they must not be hasty, severe, or arbitrary. Be sure to carefully consider all the circumstances. In the case of a serious disruption of relations or events, you must forgive, but not forget - at least until a person has made reparation for their mistakes. If corrective action is necessary, make certain that it fits the crime. When rules have become slack and useless, only through the institution of clear and swift penalties can their effectiveness be restored.

I know it can be a very difficult situation. And while I believe all decent people have a tendency toward leniency, when the facts of a situation are clear-cut, and a grievous wrong has been committed, strong corrective action must be taken. And if such action must take the form of punishment to those who have committed the offense, bear in mind that the first job of the administrator of punishment is to see that the punishment be effective. In other words, that it serve its highest intended purpose - to cause the offenders to understand the wrong they have committed, and prevent them from committing it in the future.

In this, as with all things, beware your Ego.